Various fittings are known in the art for coupling the end of a flexible hose or conduit to a corresponding hose or other device. In certain applications, the hose fittings must meet stringent sanitary requirements. Such applications include dairy processing, food and beverage processing and delivery, pharmaceutical manufacture, and other similar applications. When a flexible hose or conduit must be used in a sanitary environment, it is particularly important that the fittings provide a sealed connection that does not pose a potential for contamination of the materials transported through the hose, for example, by exposure to bacteria or other contaminants. Previous fittings for use in sanitary applications have included permanent-type fittings which are vulcanized or directly molded or crimped to suitable sanitary hoses, or removable-type fittings which are either clamped or threadably secured to sanitary hoses. Conventional vulcanized and crimped fittings generally require precise setup and complicated fixturing to attach the fitting to the hose. The labor intensive setup increases manufacturing cost and cycle times for producing hose sets. Conventional removable fittings with threaded components are often difficult to threadably tighten while compressing the hose between respective components and are typically unable to handle high pressures. Moreover, removable fittings can be taken apart by persons not trained to properly service the fittings, thereby increasing the risk that the fittings will be reassembled incorrectly.
A need therefore exists for a sanitary hose fitting which addresses these and other drawbacks of the prior art.